Posts in category: News

In light of my recent announcement of providing wonderful Cotswold wine and cheese tasting experiences, I caught up with the fabulous Aaron from Woodchester Valley Vineyard, who are providing all the amazing wines, and asked him about his role, why white wine and cheese totally go together and how UK wine is the best in the world!

Please can you tell us a bit about Woodchester Valley Vineyard (WVV) and your role there? 

WVV was founded in 2007 by Fiona Shiner. She had long been fascinated by the valley’s popularity with Roman nobility (the site of the Roman Governor of Western England’s villa was just a couple of hundred metres from our Upper Atcombe farm vineyard). The family owned a 10-acre field on Culver Hill which was not really suited to crops, so she decided to plant an acre of vineyard as a trial. The inaugural 2010 vintage was a success and the first wine was a rather excellent Bacchus (still tasting good a decade later!). She then proceeded to plant the rest of the Culver Hill vineyard and set about searching for viable sites in the area. We now have 56 acres of vineyard, our own winery and full-time winemaker, Jeremy Mount.  

I run Trade Sales – and it may just be the best job in the world! I get to meet and taste wine with  so  many lovely, passionate people in the  drinks and restaurant trade. I joined at the start of 2019 when the wines from our first bumper vintage, 2018, were ready for release. Most of the wines made had been sold via the website, shop or tasting room, but the time was right to offer them out to the trade. By chance a master wine friend was consulting for WVV and told me how great the wines were. From  the moment I set foot in the vineyard I was in love. The ‘terroir’, if I can pinch a French term, is exceptional and quite unique in the UK. When I tasted the wines, I was absolutely sold. I thought on that first day, and continue to believe, that the wines we are making are absolutely world class – as was proved by our Sauvignon Blanc 2018 winning one of only 10 gold medals awarded worldwide in the Sauvignon Blanc Masters Competition out of several thousand wines from around the world.  

Could you tell us a bit about the wines that I will be supplying? 

Orpheus Bacchus 2018 - One of our most talked about wines to date (and our best Orpheus Bacchus yet!). Made from our very best parcels of Bacchus grapes, it is a unique expression of Bacchus from some of our oldest vines. The Orpheus is a wine of great finesse, a limited range only made in selected years. A combination of whole bunch and de-stemmed fruit was pressed in an inert environment preserving the aroma and flavour precursors to create a concentrated well balanced expression of the Bacchus variety. This wine displays complex and well-integrated flavours of elderflower and lychee with defined minerality and excellent persistent length and mouth-watering finish.   

Cheese Match – Goats Cheese 

With its vibrant acidity and freshness this is perfect for a complex local goats’ cheese, cutting through the richness of the cheese but matching the citrussy, tangy notes. 

Culver Hill 2018 - *IWC Silver medal winner 2019* Enticing  notes  of crisp and refreshing citrus and green fruits are beautifully balanced with subtle peach and hints of minerality. The barrel fermented Ortega gives great texture and balance.  A delicious, dry white with a clean and pleasing finish. 

Cheese match – a little secret of ours….. a beautiful cheese produced very locally to the vineyard

The slight creaminess from the barrel fermented portion works nicely with the nuttiness of the rind, while the fruity notes of the wine match those of the cheese and the acidity cuts through the creaminess and leaves the palate feeling clean and fresh 

Cotswold Classic 2017 Sparkling - Silver Medal, Wine GB – A blend of 75% Seyval Blanc and 25% Pinot Blanc with fresh citrus notes, aromas of red apple and subtle stone fruits, this wine has a great mid-palate structure and a balance that is nicely rounded with good effervescence. The lees ageing brings some aromas of pastry and brioche reminiscent of a delicious apple pie.   

Cheese match – Mature Cheddar 

A surprising match that really works! The appley notes match the tangy crunch of the cheddar and the vibrant sparkle cuts through its palate coating creaminess   

Rosé Brut 2017 Sparkling - Gold Medal Wine GB – A charmingly well balanced sparkling rosé with delicate bubbles. This wine maintains subtle raspberry and toasted aromas which follow through and linger on the palate. 

Cheese match – Creamy Blue 

Sounds totally wrong but works beautifully. The berry notes of the rosé are brought to the fore by the tangy, gaminess of the blue and match seamlessly, then, again, the freshness and acidity leaves the palate fresh and clean.  

There is a preconception that red wine and cheese go together but here you have paired white wines – please can you tell us why they work just as well, or even better? 

Have you ever tasted a wine with cheese and found that the cheese made the wine taste thin and the wine made the cheese taste fatty? The idea that red wines and cheeses are perfect partners is seldom borne out by experience. I much prefer to counterpoint the richness of a cheese by pairing with a fine, elegant white. Our still and sparkling whites and rosés have a gorgeous, perfectly balanced acidity which cuts through the intensity of the cheese and leaves the mouth feeling fresh and ready for the next mouthful. I have been tasting (and drinking) cheese with white and sparkling wines a lot recently and have found some incredible and memorable combinations – mature cheddar (the crunchier the better) is brilliant with our Cotswold Classic sparkling for example – the crisp apple notes in the wine match the cheese beautifully and the crunch and sparkle are amazing when combined – and as I have already mentioned, the wine leaves your palate feeling fresh, gently tingling and ready for the next mouthful.    

How do you feel the UK wine industry is at the moment? Is it growing? Is it still seen as a novelty having a vineyard in the UK? 

The UK vineyard scene is vibrant, exciting and constantly evolving. People who were saying 5 years ago that the UK should only make sparkling wines are now admitting that we can make world class still wines as well. Everyone in the industry is competitive in the best possible way. Spurring one another on to new heights, sharing new knowledge and techniques and really  working together. The public are fascinated by the surge in local vineyards and our tastings and tours are often sold out months in advance. For decades vineyard visits were something you could only do abroad – no longer! 

Also, restaurants are becoming more open to UK wines. Two years ago, I was often told ‘We already have an English wine on the list’.  

To which I would respond with “Good… and how many French wines do you have? Can we look at replacing one of those?”. 

However, I was delighted recently to be approached by a sommelier  saying, “We don’t have any Cotswolds wine on the list!” – they had a UK wine section on the list with  wines from Cornwall, Devon, Sussex etc. That really put a smile on my face.  

Do you have a favourite current wine? And if so, why? 

Our Orpheus Bacchus 2018 is my current favourite. I’ve always been a fan of Loire valley whites – especially Pouilly Fumé which it  resembles more than a little – but with added Cotswolds elegance. I’m also a little bit obsessed with high altitude Spanish Garnacha-based wines from the Sierra de Gredos region – amazing and hauntingly fragrant stuff. 

What has been your best wine moment?  

I’ve been fortunate enough to have tasted many great bottles, but that’s often simply an exercise in intellectual appreciation. It’s the context that  really makes the moment. And the best moment has  to be toasting my beautiful wife with an English Sparkling Wine at our wedding in 2003 – it was a Ridgeview Blanc de Noirs 1999 by the way.  

Who would be your ultimate wine drinking companion (dead or alive!)? 

Definitely someone alive. Honestly, I’m not hugely impressed by celebrity, but I would like to share a glass or two with Maynard James Keenan – frontman of the great math-rock band TOOL. He makes some superb wines in Arizona – at totally the opposite end of the climate spectrum to what we have here in the UK; he’s also  by all accounts a thoroughly decent guy and intensely passionate about music, wine and food – very much my kind of person.   

Any events planner remembers their first event like it was yesterday – the nerves, the over-planning and the incredible relief when it goes well! As I celebrate 4 years in business, it’s so good to reflect and celebrate how far we have come. 

It was April 2017 and we hosted our first LCE event – a conference to promote Bangladesh as an investment destination held at the stunning Langham, London for a leading European hedge fund manager client. 

Being one of the top five-star hotels in London, the Langham was an amazing venue and put on a great show with excellent levels of service and top-quality food throughout the day. For the 130 guests attending, it was a business-packed day filled with presentations from a variety of people including leading politicians and successful Bangladeshi business directors, alongside market strategists who offered their insight and expertise about the social and political context of the country, its economic potential, its growing local market and the thriving pharmaceutical sector, among other hot topics. 

After a packed day, the guests enjoyed a glass of bubbles while listening to a wonderful jazz trio before taking their seats for a gorgeous dinner.  

I am very pleased to say that the day and night went without a hitch and myself and the team worked so hard to make sure it was a seamless, high quality experience for all the guests. 

Looking back at this now, especially in the current climate, it seems a million years ago as with the restrictions in place, an event for 130 people seems like a very distant memory. But I do remember everything about it and the organisation that went into it and the valuable lessons that have been the ethos of the success of Lucy Claire Events. 

The number one takeout was the fact that preparation is king. As this was our first event, I definitely over-prepared but because we did absolutely everything went to plan, and I still over-prepare to this day! I would much rather spend more time organising, planning and triple checking everything to ensure a seamless event than not and I definitely sleep a lot better having checked and checked some more! 

Alongside this, the event really hit home to me the importance of partners and by that, I mean team, suppliers and venues. Successful events never happen because of one person, they are a huge team effort and by choosing the best people to work with as well as nurturing those relationships and getting to know those people and how both they and you work is everything.  

I have people in my little black book of contacts that I go back to time and time again as I know they share the same work ethic and attention to detail as me and I trust them to work at the same high level I do. Building this network, I feel, is imperative to a successful business and great events.  

In recent times, a big thing for us has been adaption and reacting to the ever-changing events landscape and trying to remain positive and look at what opportunities there are to deliver great events. Even though it is challenging at times, we draw on our years of experience and amazing connections to create memorable and magical events.  

The Bangladesh event really taught me the power of emotion in events and that how you make the attendees and participants feel is really important and this is always at the forefront of my mind when planning. 

When I look back over the past four years, I have seen the wealth of events, large and small, that we have successfully delivered and how we have grown as a company in both reputation, confidence and delivery but I always am hugely grateful for the lessons I learnt along the way.  

There’s no doubt about it, the events industry has been hit over the head lately and the future is uncertain, but there are some amazing events to rise above the ashes – here are a few of my favourites. 

CYCLE IN CINEMA  

London Borough of Culture, Waltham Forest, has announced two venues for a cycle-in-cinema (you can also walk or skateboard if you wish!).   

They are all family-friendly, and adequately socially distanced, with pre-screening activities to kick things off. You can take part in family craft activities, learn how to move at dance workshops, or let the experts show you how it’s done in live performances! Qualified Dr Bike mechanics are also on hand to give free bike health.  

The programme is a mixture of bicycle-themed films, family favourites, and Hollywood and Bollywood classics. Food is available to buy from local traders, or you can bring your own picnic and blanket – sounds like a wonderful day out!  

For more information: https://wfculture19.co.uk/events/cycleincinema-leyton 

LIVE STREAMED GIGS 

Watching your favourite band or artist from your sofa might sound a bit dull, but the recent live streamed gigs have been getting rave reviews. One such one was The Streets who did a live pay-per-view from small venue Earth in Hackney.  

Mike Skinner’s reasons for doing the gig was to support his band and other industry professionals during this time of no work and it was a huge success. Feeling more like an immersive theatre show, the venue was used so cleverly with various sets built for specific songs, ranging from a full bar set up to a lone black box with one lampshade, and one continuous film of Mike touring the venue. 

Upcoming live stream gigs include Erasure, Ellie Goulding, Manchester Pride and IDLES. Do give them a support if you can. 

LIVE COMEDY  

It’s great to see that the Greenwich Comedy Festival is taking place in September in the beautiful London National Maritime Museum. 

Each show will accommodate an audience of 1,300, the same as in previous years, but while in the past the shows have taken place within a Big Top tent, this year it will be an open air event with the audience sat on chairs that are spread out on the lawn, in line with social distancing guidelines, in front of a domed stage with large LED screens either side. 

There are seven-shows featuring a line-up of comedians including Bill Bailey, Dylan Moran, Sara Pascoe and Josh Widdicombe. See you there! 

https://accessaa.co.uk/greenwich-comedy-festival-economically-viable-with-social-distancing/ 

DRIVE IN EVENTS  

It’s great to see so many Drive-In events filling the void of real events. All over the UK, there are spaces being used to show film, sports, concerts and theatre. 

Of course, it’s not ideal being sat in a car with the people you have been cooped up with every day, but a lot of the drive-ins are offering at your car food and drink service so it’s a novel way to have a night out, and you’re supporting the events industry! 

https://www.list.co.uk/events/drive-in/

Last year was a wake-up call for me – as I approached burnout, I knew something had to change and fast and change it has. Now I put my health and well-being top and business has grown because of it.  

Working in the events industry is a brilliant career and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but there is no doubt about it, it’s bloody stressful. In fact, being an event manager was recently named as the 5th most stressful job there is: the hours, the preparation, the last-minute changes, the client vision verses deliverable reality all have to be managed, thought about and executed to a very high standard. Now, don’t get me wrong, I thrive off the energy of a live event and work well under pressure but what I learnt last year is that doing that continuously over a long period of time is definitely not good for me, or anyone for that matter. 

The word burnout was a little alien to me. I associated it with high flying suits who were jetting all around the world fueled by caffeine and late-night meetings, not someone like me who ran my own wonderful business and was happy most of the time doing so. 

But with a few personal issues thrown in, the pressure of my day-to-day got too much and the dreaded burnout was approaching. Luckily, I managed to slam on the breaks before it got too bad, but it was a scary place to be.  

After getting some rest, giving myself some time off and – vitally – some thinking time, I am back better than ever but with a big old learning under my belt: to look after myself and treat myself as one of my clients with the care and respect I deserve.  

I know so many business owners who put themselves and their self-care at the bottom of the list, yet their clients are flying. This, I now know, helps no one as if you’re not in a good place, you are not delivering good work, end of.  

My work/life balance is in a lot healthier state these days, with the word balance being critical here. I have also introduced retreats and health and wellbeing events into my offer and I am hugely enjoying organising and delivering them.   

One of the ways I switch off is going grouse counting with my dogs – I love it! Yes, that’s right – counting grouse! I get to spend days walking the grouse moors of northern England and Scotland working my English setter, with a few like-minded friends, counting grouse. I’ll be going up next week to Lancashire for the summer brood counts and can’t wait. When I’m up on the moor with the stunning views and my dogs I am in my element; it’s all I have – and can – think about and it’s perfect. Finding something to do that makes me focus on just one thing and switch my brain off for a bit is hugely helpful for me. 

With the stresses of the current times in the events world it is imperative that us event managers look after out mental health. Emotions and stresses have been high due to the uncertainties and this is why support and community is so important in this industry. In terms of my offering, health and wellbeing is a big factor here too. I recently organised a retreat in Tuscany for a corporate client and I am busy planning a number of health and wellbeing events for both private and corporate clients. With the new measures in place, these events are more personal than ever, and I am really enjoying adding that bespoke touch.  

In the events industry, connections, collaborations and our little black book of contacts is everything – and now, more than ever. 

With the latest news of some of the hospitality sector re-opening on 6th July, all be it with restrictions in place, the event industry can start slowly emerging again and special occasions can be planned which is, of course, music to my ears.   

However, I am definitely feeling, like so many other event professionals, a sense of caution, nervousness and trepidation of not wanting to go all-out straight away but instead re-join slowly and surely. During my career, I have always valued connections over and above anything else as having friends, confidents and allies in my sector has undoubtedly grown my business, my confidence and my abilities. Throughout lockdown, I have cherished these friendships and professional relationships more than ever. 

As we are now experiencing the pandemic aftermath (hopefully) and life may get back to some semblance of normality, the importance of connections is definitely not lost on me. The groups that I am part of that kick-start my week, that help me with dilemmas, enrich me with knowledge and broaden my horizons are a permanent fixture in my diary, lockdown or no lockdown, and my cherished little black book of freelance event managers has never been more precious.  

Throughout my career, I have been lucky to meet some phenomenal event professionals and I have a list of go-to people that I know are 100% reliable and brilliant. The Norwegian event I was charged with would not have been the success it was without bringing in a fantastic team that over-and-above delivered on brief. And knowing fellow event organisers that I can collaborate with, who share my values and work ethic is priceless (yes, Hannah Hall from Sunflower Corporation – I’m looking at you!). 

So, for me – contacts and relationships are everything and for us business owners, taking the time to create and nurture these can pay off in dividends when you really need it. Events are fundamentally about people – making people feel a certain way through experience and magic and the more of us working together to deliver that can be no bad thing.   

If you’re a business owner, I urge you to dedicate some allotted time per week to growing your network. We all think we don’t have time to go for that coffee or have that Zoom chat, but for things of value, like relationships, we need to make time. It’s a cliché but we really are better together and all of us can learn, grow and offer value.  

For me, I am always looking to learn, grow and improve and I am constantly impressed, wowed and inspired by the people in my network, and that’s not necessarily just events people, but connections from all walks of life and experience. From a time when I used to dread ‘networking’ and the awkwardness that came with it, I now cherish it.  

The event world is slowly re-emerging after lockdown with a desire for smaller, more intimate gatherings to re-connect and spend quality time with those special people. But are intimate events here to stay? I think so.   

I hosted my first ‘live’ event in a while last week – a fishing day for 4 people, and I’ll let you into a little secret, I was a bit nervous! This was my first event after lockdown and my first event with these new measures. I wrote lists about lists and triple checked everything! 

I surprised myself at feeling nervous. I’ve hosted events for hundreds of people in hugely pressurised environments for many years but somehow, the more intimate ones in these new circumstances felt different.  

There was a lot to learn, think about and prepare for, and my team and I ensured we were fully prepared, so our clients had the most fantastic day. 

I am hugely pleased to say that the event went brilliantly. All the social distancing measures were checked (and double checked!) and implemented fully. We put together individual PPE packs, individual drinks boxes with beautiful gin and tonics from a local gin distiller, a delicious individually packed picnic lunch for each guest delivered by a local caterer and the views on the River Nadder in Wiltshire were just stunning (as was the fishing!). My client and their guests had a wonderful day I’m happy to say, so much so that they are wanting to rebook for next year. 

This great event has got me thinking about the rise of the intimate events in light of us not being able to host large gatherings currently. I watched this small group of guys really bond, share their thoughts and have a fantastic experience together all aided by some wonderful personal touches, even if I do say so myself! In large events, even though there is magic, there is nothing as special as a smaller, shared experience.  

I am already having some great conversations with private and corporate clients about downscaling events and how we can make them bespoke, intimate and magical. Summer is here and there are some utterly beautiful locations that we are already planning to enjoy in the sunshine.  

With the socially distancing rules predicted to go down from 2 metres to 1 metre soon, this allows for some wonderful possibilities and to re-enter the real world for a lot of us in a more intimate environment. It’s been an extremely challenging time so spending time with just a few of your nearest and dearest, or those special clients can be a lot more appealing. 

For us, we’re fully embracing and loving the more intimate events and thoroughly enjoy planning the intricate details to make them personal and bespoke to our clients – could we help you?  

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven things to a halt and none more so than in the events industry which ground to a standstill overnight. It’s been tough, there’s no doubt, and I’m sure it will continue to be, but I firmly believe that in order to not only survive, but thrive, we have to tackle the challenges, adapt and ensure we offer the best events possible.

One thing is for sure, when all this is over and life gets back to some semblance of normality, one thing that people will want is to be together, to re-connect with their tribe and to have experiences. I have been watching closely social media, messaging and reporting on peoples’ mood and what I have noticed is that the physical and tangible ‘stuff’ that people used to cherish is not so prevalent now and has been replaced by experience, emotion and memories.

Of course, this desire is heightened due to the situation we’re in, but I do think there will be a sea change in what people class as important. This is where my role comes in. As a seasoned events planner, my job has always been to create memorable and bespoke events with that added sprinkle of fairy dust and that is never more important than now. I am spending this time that I’m not working planning, creating, thinking and putting together ideas that will bring people back together in the most special way with emotion, love and companionship as soon as we can.

I feel there will be a huge demand for gatherings, shared experiences and collective joy and the feeling of togetherness. It is my job is to provide the perfect setting to do just that. Being lucky enough to run events both in London and the Cotswolds, I am spoilt for choice and I am working with and supporting these venues that are struggling by ensuring they are first on my radar to book with as soon as possible.

So, I guess my message is to look forward. I encourage you to think of the time when you have a glass of the good stuff in hand surrounded by your friends in a beautiful location, or when you can take your team out for a memorable day to thank them for all their hard work getting through this, or how you can finally celebrate your birthday that was spent online. There’s no harm to dream and plan now so when it happens it will be perfect, and I would love to help you do that.

Do please get in touch to have a chat and we will do our best to put your dream into reality. Events bring people together and it has never been more important than now.

On 3^rd April 2017, we hosted our first LCE event – a conference to promote Bangladesh as an investment destination held at the stunning Langham, London for a leading European hedge fund manager client.

The Langham put on a great show and as you would expect from one of the top 5 star hotels in London guests experienced excellent levels of service and top quality food throughout the day.

It was to be a business packed day for the 130 guests attending, who had the opportunity to hear a variety of presentations from leading politicians and Directors of successful businesses in Bangladesh, and market strategists amongst others, providing their views on the social and political context of the country, its economic potential, the growing local market and the thriving pharmaceutical sector, to name a few of the hot topics.

Following the conference guests relaxed with a glass of bubbles while listening to the melancholy sounds of Nathan’s Jazz Trio before taking their seats for a sumptuous dinner.

This event was a huge success, and a great one to kick-start Lucy Claire Events. For my client it was also the first of its kind. A big thank you to everyone who worked on the event as it was a fantastic team effort.